Recs if you like Lust for Life...

an introduction to various artistic traditions throughout europe and asia, as well as a general guide to getting started with art history. recommendations are very welcome, as always!

note: books are mostly grouped according to period/tradition, but there are inevitable outliers

Marilyn Monroe was known as an avid reader with a deep love of literature. She took literature courses at UCLA, married a playwright, and was (in?)famously photographed reading Ulysses in a park. It's said that her divorce to Arthur Miller stemmed from an incident in which he insulted her intelligence. Supposedly, she amassed a 1000+ book collection at the height of her reading that she was very proud of. Here are the books known to be a part of her beloved personal library.

Stories about artists, their work and the times that influenced them, from a fictional perspective.

interesting fictionalized novels about artists in history

Includes paintings on the cover, as well as large features in the story. All genres as long as it's fiction. Recommendations very welcome! (I haven't read most of these books)